The devastating move by the council comes in a bid to ensure greater food safety measures. A routine inspection by environmental health officers has already changed the way Davy’s, a central London bar, serves its £13.95 burgers. The restaurant is taking the case to the High Court, which could set a legal precedent as to whether we can order our meat medium rare or rare.

A Davy’s spokesman told the Evening Standard: “The burgers are produced from high quality ingredients and Davy’s contends that it has safe measures in place to serve rare or medium-rare burgers.”

The paper also spoke to James Armitage, the council’s food health and safety manager, who said: “This is about making sure customers are eating meat that is not a threat to their health. It is possible to produce burgers that can be eaten undercooked, but strict controls are essential.

“We have enlisted the UK’s top expert on E. coli, Prof Hugh Pennington, to get this matter resolved and he has outlined that rare minced meat that is not correctly cooked and prepared can kill.”

Other restaurants in the area are expected to be affected too, which could mean your favourite joint will no longer cook it the way you want (unless you like it medium to well). Even more worryingly, other councils are also expected to follow suit.